212,000 ft and Privately built
Thread Starter
Joined: May 2003
Aviation Qualifications: Aircrew (non-pilot)
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From: Ireland
212,000 ft and Privately built
Great achievement by Rutan http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/sci/tech/3713119.stm
Alba Gu Brath
Joined: Oct 2000
Posts: 745
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From: Merseyside
The craft has to reach an altitude of 329,000ft (100km) twice in three weeks to win
Bloody well done to the team. Perhaps human ingenuity isn't as dead as we all thought after all.
Self Loathing Froggy
Joined: Jun 2002
Posts: 546
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From: elsewhere
Burt Rutan is not exactly what you would call a beginner :
- first round the world, nonstop unrefueled flight December 23, 1987
- first round the world, nonstop unrefueled solo flight maybe very soon.
Doesn't make it less impressive.
Scaled Composites website
Globalflyer website
- first round the world, nonstop unrefueled flight December 23, 1987
- first round the world, nonstop unrefueled solo flight maybe very soon.
Doesn't make it less impressive.
Scaled Composites website
Globalflyer website
Joined: Feb 2001
Posts: 1,117
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From: Europe
The only one issue remaining: $10m prize would hardly justify Rutan's expenses of R&D + cost of building this spacecraft + tests.
If we not counting the total build cost of such spacecraft, it could be done already in 1960s, you just need one Arabian sheikh expressing interest in this area who can afford to employ Soviet or American specialists and to finance their work.
If you ask me, the whole X-prize idea is about something different.
If we not counting the total build cost of such spacecraft, it could be done already in 1960s, you just need one Arabian sheikh expressing interest in this area who can afford to employ Soviet or American specialists and to finance their work.
If you ask me, the whole X-prize idea is about something different.
Paxing All Over The World
Joined: May 2001
Posts: 10,844
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From: Hertfordshire, UK.
If you ask me, the whole X-prize idea is about something different.
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"I tell you, we are here on Earth to fart around, and don't let anybody tell you any different." Kurt Vonnegut, Jr.
Joined: Jan 2001
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From: UK
Check out the other contenders on www.xprize.org; this is certainly costing a lot of people a lot of money. What chance the British Starchaser doing it first?
Joined: Apr 2004
Posts: 198
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From: UK
I was lucky enough to visit Mohave Factory before Xmas and Bert showed off the Ship. What was fantastical low tech was the solid fuel rocket engine which was a rubber composite ignited with hydrogen - unlike others it could be stopped by cutting the gas.
Look at the web site, it designed so the the Mother launch ship has cockpit pod exactly the same as final stage for training etc.
Look at the web site, it designed so the the Mother launch ship has cockpit pod exactly the same as final stage for training etc.
Once you light 'em, that's 2 minutes of burning right there...no "off" switch...!Life's too short for ironing
Joined: Dec 2001
Posts: 1,146
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From: Scotland, & Maryland, USA
"Burt Rutan is not exactly what you would call a beginner :
- first round the world, nonstop unrefueled flight December 23, 1987
- first round the world, nonstop unrefueled solo flight maybe very soon."
He's also a great supporter of the Young Eagles program and EAA in general. What a fantastic acheivement! Good luck to all the teams involved. Its nice to read about something so positive in a week of news which has shown some of the most appalling sides of human nature.
- first round the world, nonstop unrefueled flight December 23, 1987
- first round the world, nonstop unrefueled solo flight maybe very soon."
He's also a great supporter of the Young Eagles program and EAA in general. What a fantastic acheivement! Good luck to all the teams involved. Its nice to read about something so positive in a week of news which has shown some of the most appalling sides of human nature.
Joined: Feb 2001
Posts: 603
Likes: 0
From: US
Don't know how often NASA's X-15 flew - doubt it got this altitude though
http://quest.arc.nasa.gov/aero/event.../machmile.html
Ramasseur des pommes
Joined: Mar 2003
Posts: 823
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From: UK
The X15 surpassed that altitude, reaching a height of 350,000+ ft.
AppleMacster
Joined: Apr 2000
Posts: 215
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From: IOM
Both Dick and Burt will be on the Isle of Man over the weekend of 7th and 8th August as guests of the Manx Festival of Aviation organisers.
JURBY 2004
Fly in for free and come meet the guys. Should be a great weekend !!
JURBY 2004
Fly in for free and come meet the guys. Should be a great weekend !!
Joined: Jul 2000
Posts: 1,598
Likes: 11
From: Down south, USA.
Well-done Rutan and team! The story about his non-stop flight around the planet with Jeanna Yeager was also quite inspiring. That plane had only two reciprocating engines.
As for humility, regarding the world speed record in the atmosphere; I've flown twice with that guy who set the official speed record in the SR-71 (the unofficial record is classified). There is a plaque somewhere at the front of the (Wash.) Dulles Airport terminal about the fast flight. He now flies at .76 Mach on 'steam-gauge' planes, most of which were built in the 60s.
He is a nice, humble guy who quite often visits his aging mother.
As for humility, regarding the world speed record in the atmosphere; I've flown twice with that guy who set the official speed record in the SR-71 (the unofficial record is classified). There is a plaque somewhere at the front of the (Wash.) Dulles Airport terminal about the fast flight. He now flies at .76 Mach on 'steam-gauge' planes, most of which were built in the 60s.
He is a nice, humble guy who quite often visits his aging mother.